Free Soul and Shadow by Susan J McLeod

replied irritably. Her cavalier attitude was wearing thin. " But it ' s not a game. I care about this man. I mean— " I was horrified to hear my voice crack a little bit— " I really care about him. "
    Katy looked distressed. " I didn ' t mean it that way. I— "
    " Did you look at the sketches? " I asked brusquely. I had brought them in to show her that morning.
    " I put them back on your desk, " Katy answered in confusion. But before she could explain further, the red light on my telephone lit up. Dr. Briggs wanted to see me in his office.
    " I ' ve got to go, " I said. " I ' ll talk to you later. "
    Briggs was ensconced behind his desk in a room where every available inch of space was taken up by books, papers, and replicas of Egyptian artifacts. Photographs of various digs and monuments covered the walls. There was a mummy case in one corner, and a scale model of the temple at Karnak perched atop a bookcase in another. The stone paperweight of a sphinx that I had given him for Christmas gazed solemnly at me as I sat down.
    " Lily, " he greeted me, with his customary brevity.
    " Dr. Briggs, " I replied, and waited. He was the stereotype of the absent-minded professor. It sometimes took him a minute to remember what he wanted to say. He was a handsome man with blond hair fading towards white and blue eyes that always had a distracted look in them. It was only when he turned them on you that you could see the keen intelligence there.
    " Lily, " he said again. He reached into a drawer and, to my astonishment, pulled out my sketchpad. " This was on top of your desk. All your work? "
    " Yes, " I said in bewilderment.
    " It ' s very good. Been thinking. Next book. Need illustrations. Interested? "
    I could hardly believe my ears. " Are you serious, Dr. Briggs? "
    " Yes. We work well together. Makes sense. "
    The University Press had published three of the professor ' s books on ancient Egypt, and they had all garnered critical and public acclaim. To be offered a chance to participate in that success was phenomenal. There was a ready-made market and a lot of exposure involved, not to mention a percentage of the profits. What a step up.
    " I ' m honored that you would consider me. This is such a surprise. What kind of time frame are we talking about? "
    " Next six months or so. Started rough draft. I can give you a list and you can do some sample sketches for me. We ' ll go from there. "
    " Thank you, Dr Briggs. Thank you so much. "
    I left his office in a kind of daze. I was bursting to share my news, but Katy was nowhere in sight. I went back to my desk and dialed Kent ' s cell phone. " Hello, love, " he greeted me. " Are you at work? "
    " Yes. And you won ' t believe what ' s happened. I just got an incredible offer. Dr. Briggs has asked me if I ' d be interested in illustrating his next book! "
    " Lily, that ' s wonderful. Of course I believe it. He ' d be lucky to have you. "
    " Can you come and celebrate with me tonight? This time, dinner will be my treat. "
    " I wish I could. But I ' ve got a meeting with the director of the museum. Trade talk. Can we do it tomorrow instead? "
    " Sure. " I fought back a wave of disappointment. After all, Kent did have a life outside of me. " I ' ll keep the champagne on ice. "
    " I ' m so pleased for you. You ' ll soon have a gallery of your own at this rate. You won ' t forget the little people, will you? "
    " If you are referring to your six-foot-two-inch self, I assure you that I will not. Have a good time with your director. I ' ll see you tomorrow. "
    " Cheerio and congratulations! "
    Stupid museum , I thought childishly as I hung up. Well, perhaps I ' d visit my mother tonight. I was overdue on that score. She ' d be impressed, anyway.
    My grumbling stomach reminded me that it was almost time for lunch. I ' d brought a sandwich with me, but suddenly that wasn ' t good enough. I decided to walk across campus and go to the inn that specialized in healthy food. Sometimes I treated